Thread: Lost for a month

I don't think murder is what happened here, mentioned it as I have thought some of the 'accident' may not have been in the past. Tough chick living in a hut alone for a month, she deserves credit for that. As tussock said, it's a bad look for nz that she can be there for a month and no-one alerted authorities.

Good point about not being husband, I had assumed!

It is another case of overseas tourists underestimating the conditions that the new Zealand alpine environments can produce.

Originally Posted by Tussock

I joked "don't ride bikes here we hate them". We know they said. Explained they had bikes in the North Island but people abused them verbally and someone forced them off the road and told them it was illegal

That isn't funny.

NZer's attitude to cyclists is fucking disgusting and it needs to change.

Originally Posted by Jack_

That isn't funny.

NZer's attitude to cyclists is fucking disgusting and it needs to change.

My attitude won't change as long as the attitude of many cyclists is that the road is there for them only.

Originally Posted by tetawa

My attitude won't change as long as the attitude of many cyclists is that the road is there for them only.

There's douchebags on either side of the fence and you are right, there's a few dumbass cyclists around.

A lot of habits that cyclists have that seem annoying though is literally to keep them alive. If everyone knew how wide their vehicle was, was aware of their surroundings, checked their mirrors, didn't enter their own blind spots and would always pass at a safe distance then cyclists would have far less annoying habits. They claim the road sometimes. They need to in order to not die. You might need to slow down your car sometimes for them, but slowing down for a little bit is not much of an inconvenience compared to getting run over or dying.

Originally Posted by Jack_

There's douchebags on either side of the fence and you are right, there's a few dumbass cyclists around.

A lot of habits that cyclists have that seem annoying though is literally to keep them alive. If everyone knew how wide their vehicle was, was aware of their surroundings, checked their mirrors, didn't enter their own blind spots and would always pass at a safe distance then cyclists would have far less annoying habits. They claim the road sometimes. They need to in order to not die. You might need to slow down your car sometimes for them, but slowing down for a little bit is not much of an inconvenience compared to getting run over or dying.

When they ride with 3 metres of good seal on their left on a hi-way I can only conclude they are trying their best to shorten their time on this earth. Plus the ones whose bikes are grossly overloaded with saddle bags etc trying to pedal up a slight rise and for every forward metre they wobble sideways 2 metres, they don't seem concerned with their own life expectancy. I sometimes conclude that they don't realise what a flimsy machine without any protection they are operating among heavy traffic, but good old ACC and the NZ tax payer will bandage them up for free if they survive.

Originally Posted by tetawa

they don't seem concerned with their own life expectancy.

I find it's usually the drivers that aren't concerned with the cyclist's life expectancy. Not sure why it means so little to them - your car is just as dangerous as a firearm and is much more likely to kill someone. Not giving cyclists respect and utmost care is just as bad as not identifying your target before you pull the trigger. If someone is doing something that makes me frustrated or angry then I pretend it's my mum and act accordingly. Once you add a bit of empathy to a situation you often gain a better perspective.

Roads have always been for many forms of transport. Not all of them can do the speed limit.

Originally Posted by Tussock

Its not a bad look for New Zealand, just shitty luck for her. Still, there could be dozens out there. Shit vans full of Europeans everywhere.

I gave a lift to two extremely downtrodden 18 year old german girls hitch hiking south into a Southerly with a sign that said they wanted to go east. They had a large bag of food and someone else had spotted their pup tent in a carpark. Their total budget appeared to be about $10. I joked "don't ride bikes here we hate them". We know they said. Explained they had bikes in the North Island but people abused them verbally and someone forced them off the road and told them it was illegal They looked broken.

I doubt they lived.

I'm mildly sick of being dismissed by foreigners who think they know better when offered local knowledge.

They were probably riding/hitching on a Motorway....see it here all the time, tho our 2 lane "motorway" probably looks like a quaint country road to most foreigners.

She said in her interview 'partner' not husband

find/build shelter and wait it out is great advice if one has left a trip plan with someone who gives a shit and will get a search started if you dont turn up near the time you were sopost to.

If you are in a wild and strange new country with nobody to look out for you a PLB should be a minimum and insurance to pay for the rescue.

I also ride a bike occasionally,on the left of the fog line.

Can't help it man, I'd be the same annoying fuck on a biking forum if someone started joking about how you shouldn't go walking in the hills because you'll get shot by "one of those dimwitted hunters"

My pushbike is my favourite means of transport, maybe tied with by boots nowadays. I agree with GB and VC, that there is mostly a place for cyclists on the road, but not always and sometimes we do need to be where the other motor vehicles are. But this is only where there is nowhere else to be. At these points it is the motor vehicle drivers responsibility to slow down and pass safely when safe to do so. Ride two or three abreast at these points is just not on.

Another one is driving fast around a bend and suddenly seeing a cyclist in front of you. That is the drivers fault as the rules are clear, on a road with a centre line you must be able to stop within the clear lane in front of you and if there is no centre line it is half that. If it was a tractor you went too fast round a blind bend and hit it may be you that doesn't come out to well.

Originally Posted by gadgetman

My pushbike is my favourite means of transport, maybe tied with by boots nowadays. I agree with GB and VC, that there is mostly a place for cyclists on the road, but not always and sometimes we do need to be where the other motor vehicles are. But this is only where there is nowhere else to be. At these points it is the motor vehicle drivers responsibility to slow down and pass safely when safe to do so. Ride two or three abreast at these points is just not on.

Another one is driving fast around a bend and suddenly seeing a cyclist in front of you. That is the drivers fault as the rules are clear, on a road with a centre line you must be able to stop within the clear lane in front of you and if there is no centre line it is half that. If it was a tractor you went too fast round a blind bend and hit it may be you that doesn't come out to well.

I am pretty sure it is illegal or was? to ride more than 2 abreast.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I am pretty sure it is illegal or was? to ride more than 2 abreast.

It is, and if the cyclists are passing parked vehicles it is illegal to ride more than single file.

PLBs are an interesting one. Half of me thinks they should be cheaper/subsidised, be advertised more, so that more people have them in situations like these. I'd be happy if some tax dollars went to cheapening safety equipment if it meant we didn't have either dead tourists or costly long searches at the other end.






Regarding the driving. If there's something in the middle of your lane on a blind corner you should be able to stop before you hit it. If you're white knuckled because you might run into something stationary in your lane you need to slow down. Could be a cyclist, a cow, your neighbors dog, a child...

Two abreast is rude as hell in many situations. No argument there.